


What Was Found In The Garden

by Zilchtastic



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Light BDSM, Light Bondage, Light Dom/sub, Murder Mystery, Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-09-28
Packaged: 2018-04-23 19:19:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4888912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zilchtastic/pseuds/Zilchtastic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two murders, and so far the only suspect is Cole. The Inquisitor is running out of time to find the killer, and meanwhile, her relationship with the Iron Bull confuses and confounds. Is Cole the killer? Or does something terrible stalk the ancient halls of Skyhold?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Trouble At Skyhold

**Author's Note:**

> I've always wanted to write a murder mystery. Here's chapter one of my first attempt! The art for this piece was done by the incredible Lily Vonk; you can find her info here: http://lilyvonk.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read my humble stories!

                                                  

 

 

 

It was a chill and misty early morning in Skyhold. The night's watchfires still burned through the grey morning air; the birds had only just begun to sing their first morning songs. They found the bodies huddled by the garden wall, hands clasped like two lovers trysting. The blood had already started to congeal, and there was much of it; both of their throats had been slashed, so deeply that white bone peeked out from the awful wounds. Their expressions were peaceful, quiet. It was horrible.

Josephine was looking a little green around the edges when Inquisitor Avrinne Lavellan arrived, but she kept her spine straight and her expression neutral. "I am sorry to disturb you so early, your Worship," she began, "but there has been a murder. _Two_ murders."

Lavellan pressed her lips together in a tight line as she took in the tragic scene. A man and a woman; the woman in the robes of a mage, and the man in what looked like Templar initiate armor. Had they been passing time, finally free from censure, only to be killed like this?

"Who found them?" Lavellan asked quietly.

"It was Flissa." Josephine motioned with her writing board to a weeping Flissa, who was being comforted to little effect by Mother Giselle. "The poor girl is... very upset."

"So I see. Where's Leliana?"

"Here, your Worship." Leliana seemed to materialize from the crowd of onlookers and gawkers who had fanned out around the grisly tableau. Many were whispering among themselves; some were crying. The spymaster slid up to the Inquisitor's side. "I've heard little of use so far," she admitted, voice pitched low. "No one saw anything unusual last night; no one heard anything. The rumors going around are pure speculation."

"Can you tell me anything about the scene?"

"Very little, I'm afraid. There seems to be no sign of struggle. The amount of blood would suggest that they died here, and weren't moved. But how could two people sitting together simply sit still while their throats were slit? It doesn't make any sense."

The Inquisitor shook her head. "Perhaps they didn't hear their attacker coming?"

"Even then, one wouldn't think that the other would stay still while one died, unless they both died at the same time."

"Two killers?" It was a horrible thought.

"Possible. I will have to inspect the scene more closely." Leliana grimaced. "Josie, dear, if you would fetch the surgeon...?"

Josephine frowned, confused. "What can the surgeon do?"

"She may be able to determine what sort of weapon caused the wounds. Besides that, we must prepare the bodies for cremation once my inspection is through. We also need to get these people out of here before they trample any potential evidence."

Josephine nodded briskly. "I'll have Commander Cullen clear the area for now, and I'll get the surgeon. Your worship, what do you wish to do?"

Lavellan swallowed hard. So far she hadn't approached the bodies, but duty was duty, and Skyhold was technically hers. These people were hers. "I'll stay with Leliana," she said, "and wait for the surgeon. I want to know exactly what happened here, and how."

"Very well, my lady." Josephine nodded, almost a bow. "I'll be off, then."

Cullen arrived a few minutes later, and with the aid of several guards he cleared out the garden with only a little fuss. He looked grim and tired as he approached.

"Josephine told me what happened. I didn't expect... No. I don't know what I was expecting. But it wasn't... this." He motioned at the horrible scene.

"Does anyone know who they are?" Avrinne asked, drawing closer to the scene. As the morning sun warmed its way over the battlements, the smell of blood and death had begun to worm its way up from the ground. The sickly-sweet, coppery tang clung to the back of her throat, cloying and nauseating.

"I recognize the man," Cullen said. "Poor lad. His name was Devon, and he was in training at Kirkwall's Circle when all the trouble started. I was relieved when he showed up here. I thought it would be a good start for him." He shook his head. "The woman I've seen before, but I don't recall her name."

"Elysse," Leliana said. She was bent over, inspecting the corpses with a critical eye. "A few people in the crowd recognized her. She was from a small Circle in Orlais."

The surgeon arrived, taking in the scene with a heavy outbreath. "Maker's mercy," she said, "this isn't what I was expecting."

"I don't think anyone was," Cullen said, dryly.

The surgeon marched in, crouched before the bodies, and squinted at the wounds. "Clean cuts," she said, finally. "Sharp knife. _Very_ sharp. Shit." She looked up at Leliana. "I should tell you, I've found a few of my knives missing from the healers' tents. I'd suspect your murder weapon was one of them."

"Missing?" Leliana questioned. "For how long?"

"Two, three days. I thought I'd simply misplaced them, or that one of the other healers had. They were the knives I use for smaller amputations-- a finger, a toe, that sort of thing. Sharp as anything to make it quick."

Leliana's lips pressed together. "Did you tell anyone when they went missing?"

"I asked my apprentice if she'd seen 'em. She hadn't touched them, she said, had last seen 'em where they'd been left."

"And do you have people who can confirm where you were last night?"

The surgeon rocked back on her heels, expression going stony. "You don't mean to say--"

"Anyone could be a suspect," Leliana told her, matter-of-factly. "I must ask the question."

"Fine. Yes. Ask my apprentice, or any of the healers; I was working most of the night, trying to get a young guardsman's fever to break. I turned in around three in the morning, but I slept there, in the tent." She grunted as she stood. "That's exactly where Lady Montilyet found me, too."

Leliana nodded, her face neutral. "Thank you for your assistance."

The surgeon grunted again. "Call me when you need these two cleaned up. I'm going back to my patient until then." She stalked off, spine straight.

Avrinne crouched down in the same spot the surgeon had. The wounds were even uglier up close, glistening with blood, the flesh parted so precisely, so wide, as if their throats had simply pulled themselves open along a loose seam. The smell was terrible; not just blood, but latrine smells as well. No matter how many deaths the Inquisitor saw, the smell she could just never get used to. She grimaced.

"Is she a suspect?" she asked Leliana.

"I will check her story, but so far, I believe her. If surgical knives were used for the murders, it explains the quickness and cleanness of the wounds, but I don't know that one would have to be a surgeon to inflict them. The missing knives is a problem, indeed." Leliana looked over to Cullen. "Round up the healers. I need to know every coming and going, everyone who knew about the missing knives."

"My men will question them," Cullen said, bowing at the neck before he excused himself.

"There is one other possibility I must bring up," Leliana said finally, her expression growing weary.

"I don't like the sound of that," the Inquisitor said.

Leliana nodded in agreement. "It is not a pleasant one. Who do we know, your worship, who can come and go as they please, and who can make things disappear without anyone the wiser?"

Avrinne felt something cold and heavy drop in the pit of her stomach. "Cole," she said, finally. The name tasted like ash in her mouth. "But he would never--"

"Wouldn't he?"

They stared at each other for a long moment.

Avrinne swallowed hard. She got to her feet, backing away from the huddled corpses. "I'll find him. I'll talk to him. But I don't for a second think he'd do something like this." A feeling of protectiveness welled up inside her at the thought. Cole would never. He'd _never._

But he had before, hadn't he? He had.

"I'll talk to him," she repeated, and then she retreated before the bile could rise any higher in the back of her throat.

***

She found Cole on the battlements, swinging his heels to _thud_ against the cold stones as he sat.

"Two people died," she said, after a long hesitant moment. "Were killed, I mean. Murdered."

"I know," Cole said.

_Did you do it?_ The words stuck in her throat. She couldn't make them come out.

"They didn't need me," Cole said, finally, not looking up. His eyes stayed focused on the courtyard below, or maybe somewhere beyond the courtyard that Avrinne couldn't see. "They didn't need me, so why would I go to them? They weren't hurting. They weren't afraid. They didn't have time to be afraid."

"Cole," she said, "some people are... worried. That you did it."

"They didn't need me," Cole repeated. "I wouldn't, would I? Or I would, but not now. I was wrong before, but not now."

Avrinne's head was beginning to hurt. "Cole, I need you to make sense. I don't believe you'd do something like this, but I still need to know where you were last night."

"I was everywhere," Cole said. "In the kitchens, the serving girl was crying. She'd burnt the morning's bread again, and the cook was going to scold her. In the stables, a horse with a lame leg had to be put down. Master Dennet blamed himself. In the tavern, a soldier remembered all the blood, the death. His best friend, full of arrows, slumped against a rickety wood wall, gasping, gurgling, gone. I helped them." He looked up then, expression beseeching. "I _helped_. I only want to help."

"I know, Cole." Avrinne sighed. "But did anyone see you? Can anyone confirm where you were?"

"They don't remember. They don't need to remember, for me to help."

_That makes things complicated_ , she thought. "Did you see or hear anything strange last night?" she asked.

"Someone was angry," Cole said. "Rage, cold and sick. Desperate. Don't forget me. Don't forget me. They forgot. They didn't care. It was wrong." He looked down at his hands. "I was wrong, but it wasn't me this time, was it? If I was wrong, you'll have to stop me."

Getting sense out of Cole was worse than pulling teeth. "Cole, I need a yes or no answer. Did you kill those two people in the garden?"

Cole looked up again. His expression was stricken. "I don't think so," he said. "But I've been wrong before."

"That isn't--" Avrinne started, but she was talking to bare stone where a moment before there'd been a gangly young man. Cole was gone.

She sighed. "This is not going to be fun," she muttered out loud.

***

Back in the war room, the mood was grim.

"As far as I can determine," Leliana was saying, "they died at around two or three in the morning. Flissa found them at around five, as she went to the chapel to sing the morning chant. No one I've talked to thus far has heard or seen anything unusual. The garden was empty at such an early hour; if not for Flissa's devotion, we probably would not have found the bodies until later in the morning."

Avrinne nodded. "And do we still believe they died there?"

"Yes, your Worship. When the bodies were moved, a great deal of blood had pooled beneath them. There were no drag marks, and we found no other blood around the garden. From the rumors I've gathered, the two were lovers, sneaking out nightly for trysts like this."

"What a bad way for this one to end," Cullen said, his mouth turned down in a deep frown.

"Indeed. Inquisitor, you talked to Cole, I take it?"

Avrinne sighed. "I did. But I didn't learn much. You know how Cole can be. He said they 'didn't need him', though. Cole just wants to help. Why would he go to people who didn't seem sad in any way?"

"Still, we cannot eliminate him as a suspect yet," Leliana said.

Avrinne bristled. "I _trust_ him, Leliana."

Leliana's expression softened a little. "I know. The question is, does Cole trust _himself_?"

_If I was wrong, you'll have to stop me._ The words echoed in Avrinne's mind. Maybe Cole didn't trust himself. But why would he ever do something like this?

"We need to look at every angle," Avrinne insisted. "Cole is an easy target, but it could have been nearly _anyone_ in Skyhold. Are there any new people? Have we checked every background?"

"My people are trying their best," Leliana insisted, "but more of the faithful flock here every day. Some will always slip through the cracks."

"So we're no closer to a conclusion than we were two hours ago," Josephine said. She sighed. "What a terrible start to the morning. We have visiting dignitaries, some from as far away as Nevarra. They are all very upset by this news. Rumors are flying faster than we can quench them. And we have a ball coming up in just _three days_ to celebrate your defeat of the dragon in the Hinterlands."

"Can we cancel it?" Cullen asked.

Josephine looked horrified. "Cancel it _now?_ The invitations were sent _weeks_ ago. Nobles from far and wide have already started to arrive. To send them all home now would be an egregious insult."

"Josephine, we've had a _murder_. Surely that takes precedence?" Avrinne said.

Josephine's look of horror did not subside. "Of course, my lady, but the problem now is that if we send the nobles home or turn them away, we look weak. If we cannot even take care of our own problems in Skyhold, then how can we claim any sort of sovereignity over our forces? If word gets out now, it could ruin us. Better to keep the nobles here, where they can only spread rumors amongst themselves."

"I see your point, Josie, but this will complicate matters incredibly," Leliana said. She pressed fingers to the bridge of her nose, as if she could feel a headache coming on.

"I will double patrols," Cullen said. "If anyone tries sneaking about before dawn, I'll be sure to apprehend them. And I'll make sure the guest quarters have people posted at all times."

Avrinne nodded. "We should also warn people to keep to their rooms after dark, just to be safe. If the nobles protest, we can offer them a well-guarded room here in the keep itself. Perhaps throw them a card game to keep them occupied while we investigate?"

"An excellent idea," Josephine said, her face lighting up. "Nobles _do_ so love to lose money. I'll arrange something right away. Enough wine and entertainment, and they'll forget about the curfew entirely."

"And then we'll have them all where we can watch them," Leliana said, expression turning sly. "Let's not forget, these murders happened just as we've received a sudden influx of people for the ball. We cannot eliminate one or more of the nobility as suspects."

Avrinne felt a sigh of relief escape her. "So we have a plan. Josephine, you deal with the party and its attendees. Cullen, you increase patrols and have your soldiers watch the garden, in case the murderer returns to the scene. And Leliana, have your spies look into the people who've come to Skyhold over the last few days. New faces could mean we've let a killer slip into our midst."

Everyone nodded, solemn but determined now. They had a killer to catch, and the sooner the better. If the visiting nobles left with tales of how the Inquisition couldn't restrain their own people... Well, it would do them no good on the world stage. They had to wrap this up before the end of the ball in three days' time.

And before the killer struck again.

***

"...final count, eighteen stab wounds to the man, twenty to the woman. All inflicted after death," the surgeon told her. She shook her head, expression hard. "Someone had a grudge here, that's all I'm sayin'."

"Why stab someone after they're already dead?" Avrinne asked, dumbfounded. She kept a rag pressed against her nose and mouth; it smelled sharply of vinegar, but it drowned out the stench of blood and shit that filled the small healer's tent where the bodies had been laid out.

The tent flap pushed aside, and the massive shoulders of Iron Bull slid in sideways. "Usually means the killer has a personal connection to the victims," he said, glancing down at the pale, nude figures on the ground. "That or they represent to him someone from his past that he hated a lot."

"Bull. You know about things like this?"

Bull sighed heavily. "Yeah, yeah. Seen it before. Plenty of murders went down in Seheron. A lot of them looked like this. Well, not exactly like this." He crouched down to look at the wounds, seemingly unaffected by the hellacious smell. "I heard they were positioned afterward?"

Avrinne nodded. "Holding hands. Huddled together like... Well, like two lovers sharing secrets. Which apparently they were."

Bull shook his head. "Poor bastards." He rose to his feet, brushing his hands off on his pants even though he hadn't touched anything. "Boss, I can help with this if you need me. I've had experience with this sort of thing, and you know I've got the training."

Avrinne smiled gratefully, even though Bull couldn't see it behind the rag. "I'll take all the help I can get, Bull."

"Good. Figured you could use another eye on this. Not to mention another set of ears."

"We about done?" the surgeon asked briskly. "Because I'd like to get these two on a pyre before they start spreading sickness to the rest of the hold. Besides, they deserve a proper funeral."

Avrinne nodded. "Take care of it. And make sure any friends or loved ones in Skyhold are alerted, so they can attend."

"Will do, yer Worship." The surgeon pulled a rough, stained blanket back up over the bodies, hiding them from sight.

"C'mon, Boss. Let's get out of here." Iron Bull offered his arm to her like an Orlesian courtier; Avrinne smiled again and took it.

She discarded her vinegar-soaked rag as soon as they emerged from the tent. "I need a bath," she declared, rubbing at her arms as if she were cold. "A long, hot bath with scented oils. And then a week-long nap, at the very least."

Bull chuckled. "I can arrange the bath. The nap will probably have to wait til you've finished saving the world, though."

Avrinne made a disgusted noise. "We have to find the person who did this," she said. "What have you heard, Bull?"

"A lot," he said, tugging at her arm and leading her up the stairs toward the main keep. "Some of it's crap. Some of it's just speculation. A few tidbits might be good. I'll tell you once you're in the tub."

Avrinne blushed as she allowed Bull to lead her to her quarters. This thing between them was still so new, so strange; she wasn't sure about any of it. But a bath to soak off the stench of death sounded heavenly right now, even if it meant having an audience.

_He's seen you naked twice already,_ she thought. _It's a bit late to be shy now._

A copper tub stood waiting in front of the fireplace when they arrived, thanks to a few whispered orders to the servants who scurried around Skyhold like industrious ants. The water was already hot, warmed magically, she suspected, and the scent of sandalwood and clove rose from the steaming water, woodsy-sweet and powerful. A bar of soap and several thick towels sat near the tub, waiting.

The Iron Bull took a seat on her couch, leaning back to get comfortable. He waved a hand at her. "Go ahead. Don't mind me."

Her blush kicked up another notch. She swore she could feel it burning in her _ears_. "I've never taken a bath with someone watching before," she told him, fingers hesitating at the first clasp on her shirt.

"You'd never been tied up and flogged with a belt before, either, but there's a first time for everything," Bull said, grinning. "Just get in the bath. I'll stay right here and won't touch a thing, I promise."

Avrinne sighed. Would it always be this difficult, she wondered, this... awkward? This terrifying? She turned around and began undoing her shirt clasps. No help for it, she decided. If she wanted a bath while the water was still hot, she didn't have time to be shy.

Once she was in the tub, she finally looked up. Iron Bull _was_ staring, just as she'd feared, but his expression was mild, more concerned than lustful. It made something in her stomach settle down, finally. "What?" she asked as she reached for the soap.

"Just making sure you're healing up right," he said. "The bruises are almost gone. You took a potion just like I told you to, right?"

She ducked lower in the water, huddling. "I drank one yesterday. It's fine. It barely even hurts now."

Bull grinned. "I like that you waited a day. Wanted to feel it, huh? Keep the memory with you a little longer?"

She was never going to be able to stop blushing. Could you die from shame, she wondered? "I just... It wasn't like I was bleeding or anything. I can live with a little bruising. I've lived through so much worse."

Bull nodded. "Remember, I didn't do that to injure you, Boss. That's not what this is about. The pain, the punishment... It's not about hurting you. It's about helping you."

"So you say." She ducked her head under the water, then came up spluttering and wiping at her eyes. She lathered the soap and began running sandalwood-scented fingers through her short platinum hair.

"It's the truth. You'll see it soon, don't worry." His smile tilted sideways. "But I didn't come up here to talk about why I'm fucking you. We have a double murder to worry about."

Avrinne grimaced, but the change in topic was almost welcome. She ducked her head again, rinsing the soap from her hair. Her bangs flopped wetly across her forehead. "You say you have experience with this."

"Saw all kinds of nasty shit when I was in Seheron," Bull agreed. "Assassinations, killings of every type you can imagine. Revenge, jealousy, insanity. I've seen it all."

"And what does it tell you about this murder?" she asked, swiping the bar of soap over her arms and across her chest.

Bull's eyes followed the motion, but his tone stayed perfectly even. "Like I said, stab wounds like that usually mean the killer is really pissed at the victims. It's usually someone who was close to them. I once had a man under my command snap-- he couldn't take the pressure anymore, burned out too fast and hard. He killed his best friend-- his lover, I'm pretty sure, though no one ever said anything about it-- and told us it was because he'd been hanging around with someone else."

Avrinne paused, face screwing up in disgust. "That's horrible."

"Tell me about it. He stabbed the other guy in the face and chest fifteen times. There was so much blood in the room, it looked like one of those Orlesian paintings where the artist just throws buckets of paint at a canvas."

"And you think that was the case here? A jilted lover, perhaps?"

"It's usually the first place to look," Bull said.

"I'll let Leliana know." She swiped the bar of soap lower. "Could you, ah, turn around, maybe...?"

"Why?"

"I need to... Oh, damn it Bull, this is embarrassing."

He smiled. "I'm enjoying the view."

"I'm sure, but..."

"You'll live," he said. "Besides, you're so damn pretty when you blush like that. Even your tits are pink."

" _Bull!_ "

"I could order you to touch yourself while I watched," Bull said, tone dropping to a low, deep growl. "And you'd do it. For me."

Avrinne trembled, nerves suddenly lighting up. She would, she thought, if he said it like that. _Please, please don't say it._ She'd had enough humiliation for one bath.

Iron Bull waved his hand again, like a magnanimous king. "Finish up. You've got other things on your mind. But later, I _am_ going to tie you to that bed again-- and you're going to ask me to do it."

Avrinne tilted her chin up, suddenly stubborn. "I'm not--"

"You will." He sounded so sure. "Just wait and see."

Avrinne stared, feeling a little wild, a little helpless. She hated the thrill in her stomach, hated the blush burning on her cheeks, hated Bull, just a little. _He's turning me upside down,_ she thought. _I don't know which way is up anymore._ She hated herself for wanting it. _I must be sick to want this_ she thought, ashamed. _There must surely be something wrong with me._

But she did as she was told, rising to wash the rest of herself, slowly and deliberately: stomach, thighs, sex. Bull made an appreciative noise; another deep growl that sent a thrill up her spine.

"Don't tempt me," he said. "You'll find yourself facedown on that bed and begging for my cock again."

"Good to know you're not made of stone," she sniffed, settling back down to rinse off. _I can't be the only one feeling out of control here. I just can't be._ For a moment all thoughts of the murders were gone; all she could think about was the last time, when he'd tied her down, done things to her she'd never imagined before. She'd come screaming, back arching off the bed, her nerves a confused and joyous jangle of pleasure and pain, and it was a wonder the entirety of Skyhold hadn't heard her wails.

Bull _hmphed_ through his nose. "Your water's getting cold. Hurry up and dry off."

The water was, in fact, rapidly cooling. Avrinne stumbled out of the tub and grabbed up one of the towels, wrapping it around herself like armor. She stood in front of the fire, letting it warm her as she toweled off quickly. Then she padded over to her wardrobe, still wrapped in the oversized towel, and pulled fresh clothes from the drawers. She dressed hastily beneath the towel; Bull watched with amused interest.

She felt better now; clean, well-scented, in clothes that smelled of cedarwood instead of corpses. She tied a Dalish scarf around her neck and shook the last of the water from her short, practical hair.

"Let's go talk to Leliana," she said.

***

They found the spymaster up in the rookery, pouring over a stack of notes. She looked up at their approach, blue eyes at half-mast as though she was tired.

"Inquisitor," she greeted, and she nodded to Iron Bull as well. "Have you news?"

Avrinne repeated what they'd found on the bodies, and relayed Bull's thoughts on the matter. The redhead nodded, lips pressed together in a tight line.

"I had much the same thought, but thus far, we've found no one with any apparent grudge against either of the victims." Leliana laid her paper down and sighed. "Devon was apparently well-liked by his friends; my people have questioned them, and they all have alibis that check out. The time frame we supposed seems to match up with what they have said; Devon left the barracks sometime after midnight to meet up with his lover. They never saw him return."

"And the woman?" Bull asked.

Leliana shuffled her papers, found the right one and scanned it quickly. "Elysse had few friends. Apparently she was shy, didn't fit in easily. She only started walking out with Devon a few weeks ago, as far as anyone can tell. She knew one of the girls in the kitchens and told her about the liasons. The kitchen girl reports that she seemed happy. No one opposed the couple, despite their... unusual status."

"A mage and a Templar." Avrinne nodded. "Maybe they figured they were finally in a place where that didn't have to divide them." She felt a wash of pity for the two; their glassy-eyed corpses flashed into her mind's eye. "Damn," Bull swore softly. "If the people closest to them check out... Well, that leaves a bad alternative."

"Which is?" Leliana asked.

"Could just be a crazy," Bull said. "Which means unpredictable. Unpredictable means a lot harder to catch. No way to know when they'll strike next."

Leliana nodded grimly. "Which means they might well kill again. And we have no way of knowing the target."

"We're already telling people to stay indoors at night," Avrinne said. "Maybe that will help?"

"Or maybe it will just conceal the murderer." Leliana shook her head. "I hate to even say it, but we may not be able to find them-- unless they do kill again."

It was a terrible thought. Everyone went silent for a few long moments.

"C'mon," Bull said finally. "I want to look at where the bodies were found."

***

Golden afternoon sunlight filtered down from above, making the garden look peaceful. Other than the dark patch of blood on the grass and a few smears on the wall, there wasn't much to see at the scene of the crime. Cullen had posted guards and for now the garden was off-limits to all but the inner circle. Since this morning, nothing had been disturbed.

Iron Bull crouched down by the sloppy, browning ring of blood near the wall. "Lot of blood. Killer took care of business here." He pointed at a smudge on the wall. "See this? Looks like a partial handprint, maybe from when he was arranging the bodies." He rocked back on his heels, sucking air between his teeth. "Whoever this person was, they moved fast. Quiet. Likely neither of them saw him coming. The guards didn't hear anything, and there's no sign of a struggle. Didn't see any defensive wounds on the bodies, either."

"'Defensive wounds'?" Avrinne asked.

"Someone comes at you with a knife, what's the first thing you do? You get a hand up, try to stop them. You get cuts on the hands, on the forearms, as you try to defend yourself." He stood up with a grunt. "Neither of the bodies had a scratch on their arms or hands. It's like the killer just walked right up and slit their throats in one motion."

"Could it be two separate killers?" Avrinne wanted to know.

"Mn. Could be, but it isn't likely. Killers like this usually work alone."

Avrinne frowned. "Then how could he kill two people at very nearly the same time, without anyone seeing or screaming or causing any sort of fuss?"

Bull let out a sigh. "I know you don't wanna think about it, Boss, but we both know someone who could've done this."

Avrinne's frown deepened into a full-on scowl. "If Cole is a suspect, then so am I, you know. I can disappear into the shadows just as readily."

Bull shook his head. "Maybe, but once you're out of cover, you're out. You're good, Boss, really good, but you couldn't slit two throats at once."

"But you're saying Cole did."

"I'm saying he _could_. You know that's not the same thing."

Flies buzzed around them in a growing and obnoxious cloud, attracted to the scent of death. Avrinne fought the urge to put her head in her hands. "Until I see direct evidence, I won't condemn him, Bull."

"You're good about that, Boss. But don't let your heart get in the way of your head. The kid isn't exactly normal. It's hard to say why he does most of the things he does."

"He wants to help. He told me... When I asked him about it this morning, he told me these two people didn't need his help. He has no motive, Bull."

"True. But we can't eliminate him as a possibility."

Avrinne sighed, feeling defeated. "No. I suppose we can't."

Bull's good eye cast around, searching. "No blood on the plants. No footprints-- ground's too cold, too hard. No-- Hang on a second." He crouched down abruptly. "Found something, Boss. Come and see."

Avrinne rushed over. There, in the corner-- crushed plants. Trod down, broken stems. A hiding place?

"Killer could've hid in the bushes. Waited for them. Would've had to know where they were going." Bull stared down at the disturbed foliage like it had all the answers he was looking for.

"That points to someone who knew them," Avrinne said excitedly, "or at least, someone who knew where they were sneaking off to."

"That's a pretty big list of people," Bull said, ticking off points on one hand. "The male victim's friends in the barracks. The kitchen girl-- and whoever she told. Anyone who'd seen them here before."

"More questioning, then." Avrinne sighed.

"More questioning," Bull agreed. "Let's head to the kitchens. We'll see what the girl knows."

***

"--already told Sister Leliana everythin' I knew," the kitchen girl was saying. She was a short girl with lank dirty-blond hair and deep brown eyes, and her name was Pauleen. "I was friends of a sort wi' Elysse. I reckon she was glad to have someone to talk to."

"She told you about passing time with this Devon fellow, right?" Bull asked. "What did she say about it, exactly?"

"Just that he was the nicest sort, and that it was a relief to meet a boy-- a Templar boy, at that-- who didn't treat her like a thing to be afeared of."

"She tell you where they were sneaking off to?"

Pauleen nodded. "Said they was meetin' up in the gardens, at least three nights a week. Sounded pretty innocent to me, really-- just some kissin' and carryin' on. Nothing bad, like." Her eyes were sad. "Poor lamb, to be killed just like that. What d'you think anyone would do that for? She wouldn't hurt a soul."

"That's what we're trying to find out," Bull assured her. "Anyway, let's start at the top. What did you do that night, that morning they were found?"

"I was up before dawn to start the bread," Pauleen told him. "Only, I'd messed it up again, and Cook was gonna be mad. I had to start a whole 'nother batch because I burnt the first dozen."

Avrinne remembered something then. Cole, staring down at the courtyard. "In the kitchens, the serving girl was crying. She'd burnt the morning's bread again, and the cook was going to scold her", he'd said.

"Bull. Cole was here."

Bull raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Avrinne just shook her head. She turned to Pauleen. "Do you remember a young man here this morning? Someone who helped you with the bread?"

Pauleen frowned, obviously confused. "What, now? I don't-- But then, how _did_ I get the second batch ready so fast?" Her face crumpled. "I don't... I don't remember, but I feel like someone must've helped me. I couldn'a have done it on my own."

Realization dawned in Bull's eye. "So Cole could've learned where the two were going."

"It's not proof," Avrinne insisted, but the coincedence was making her feel uneasy.

"It's not good, either."

"I gotta be back to my chores," the kitchen girl said, curtseying awkwardly. "Ser, yer Worship." She scuttled back into the warmth of the kitchen, obviously glad to be away.

"I don't like any of this," Iron Bull muttered.

"What's to like? Two people are dead, and we don't know who did it or why." Avrinne shook her head. "It seems like every question we ask just spawns two more."

"Maybe, but we have a lead. Who else did Cole 'help' that night? We can track them down, see what the timeline looks like. See if they remember anything useful at all."

"Master Dennet was one," Avrinne said. "Cole told me he'd had to put down a lame horse last night. And he mentioned a soldier in the tavern, someone who'd been having trouble with bad memories, but he didn't say who."

"We'll talk to Dennet first, then. Grab something to eat, and I'll meet you at the stables."

As if in response, Avrinne's stomach growled. She'd missed breakfast this morning, she remembered, and lunch was passing by, too. She opened her mouth to thank Bull for looking out for her, but he was already out the door, heading for the stables. Avrinne sighed. "I don't know what we're doing, Bull," she whispered out loud. Then she snatched an apple from a basket and followed.

***

They found Master Dennet shoveling fresh hay into one of the stalls at the stables. "Afternoon, Inquisitor," he greeted. His face looked tired.

"Master Dennet. I heard you had to put one of the horses down last night?"

Dennet grimaced. "Damn shame, too. One of my finest fillies. Poor beast caught a step wrong on some rocky ground, and the damn wound never healed right. Got infected. Would've had to amputate. No room in the stables for a three-legged mount, so I had to put 'er down."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Avrinne told him.

He shrugged. "Part of the job, more's the pity. Wasn't the first horse I had to put down. Won't be the last. I just wish I'd paid more attention to her favoring that leg..."

"Did anyone help you that night?" Avrinne asked.

"Now that you mention it, yeah. That lad of yours, the skinny one. Cole, is it? I remember him saying it wasn't my fault." He snorted, but his expression softened. "Good kid. Helped me calm the horse so it was quick. She didn't suffer."

Avrinne and Bull traded looks.

"About what time was this?" Bull asked.

"Just before midnight, I'd say. I'd done my best all day to nurse her, but it was obvious the infection was too far gone. Poor thing."

Avrinne stood close to Bull as Dennet walked away. "So Cole was here before or during the time the two victims were sneaking out to meet in the garden. And he didn't see Pauleen until around four in the morning, which is probably after they died. Doesn't that seem to point to someone else being the culprit?"

Bull shrugged, looking regretful. "We can't know exactly when they died-- between midnight and four a.m. is still a pretty big window."

"Flissa found them dead at around five," Avrinne said, "and when I saw the bodies the blood was already going dry. That seems to point to an earlier death rather than a later one. I'd bet they met up and were killed shortly after that."

Bull _hmmed_ thoughtfully. "Okay, but that doesn't clear Cole. He didn't have to hear about the tryst from the kitchen girl. He could've found out some other way, or he could've just walked up on them."

"But there's still no _reason_ for it," Avrinne insisted. "They were happy. Cole only responds to sad people, people who need comfort or help."

Bull put a large hand on her shoulder. "Look, Boss. I know you feel protective towards the kid, and that's admirable, but--"

"There is no 'but'." Avrinne shook off his hand angrily. "Everyone's so quick to condemn him just because he isn't human. But I _know_ Cole. He wouldn't just murder a happy couple in cold blood. There's got to be something we're missing."

"Your Worship! Your Worship!" A messenger rushed over, breathless, eyes wide. "Sister Leliana asks that you come right away!"

Immediately Avrinne's nerves tingled to alertness. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Another body, your Worship. There's been another murder."

***

Avrinne felt a chill of horror creep down her spine as she entered the tiny, cobweb-clogged library. _If ever there was a place for a murder..._

The smell assaulted her almost immediately, the coppery tang like a slap in the face after the initial odor of musty books and dust was swept aside. She pulled her scarf up over her nose, but it did little to dampen the noxious smell, worse than the first time.

The body sat in the chair behind the little desk, slumped to one side like a sleeper. Blood had pooled out over the desk, as if from a sudden spray, coating the old books there in rust-red grime. From the look of things, the body had been here a while.

"Leliana, what in fucking Thedas is going _on_ here?" she demanded, helplessly.

"I don't know, Inquisitor." Leliana sounded angry. "This is... A servant found him. He'd just come in here to clean out the cobwebs, he said, and found this. Luckily for us he told me right away instead of screaming it to the entire keep."

"So we're the only ones who know about this right now?"

"You. Me. The Iron Bull, of course. The servant and my messenger."

Avrinne bit at her lip. "That's one small mercy, then. Let's try to keep this quiet. I don't want the nobles getting spooked."

"Of course. I will tell Josie and Cullen, and no one else."

Avrinne took a deep breath and immediately regretted it as the stench of blood and sewer-smell assaulted her nose anew. "What can you tell me about him?"

"We actually don't know who he is yet, but he's been here... I'd say _longer_ than the other two. At least a day, maybe two."

"So this is actually the _first_ murder," Avrinne said.

Leliana shook her head. "It's... difficult to say. He's been here longer, but if that's so, why has there been no outcry? Why has no one reported him missing? My people have heard nothing."

"That's... more than a little disturbing." Avrinne inched closer to the desk, despite everything in her hindbrain crying at her to get away, to run, to escape from the presence of _death_. "Throat slit again. Same weapon, you think?"

"The surgeon _did_ say her knives had been missing for two or three days," Leliana remembered.

"You're right. This must be the first murder, then. Maybe after no one found this one, the murderer decided to be more... public?"

"If that is so, then I fear we are dealing with a maniacal killer," Leliana said. "Look at the body-- again positioned as though he were merely resting. A casual look, in little light, and you might not realize at first that he was dead. I won't know more until I've examined the body, though."

Avrinne bit at her lip again. "How are we going to do this without calling attention to the murder?"

"I will call a few of my people. Have the guards keep people out of this area for now. Tell them it is being cleaned for the ball, if you must say anything."

Avrinne nodded. "Bull has been helping me, and he already knows about this, so I'm going to be sharing details with him."

Leliana's expression stayed neutral. "If you think it wise, Inquisitor."

The title had never felt so heavy on her shoulders. Avrinne felt weariness setting in. _Too much in one day. I can't handle all this alone_.

"I'll be in my quarters. I... Tell me as soon as you learn anything."

"Of course. And... get some rest, if you can. I get the feeling that this may be a very long night."

_For some of us,_ Avrinne thought bitterly. _For others, the night may never come._

***

Rest, unfortunately, would not come either. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see were corpses, more corpses. What if the next person to be targeted was someone she knew? What if it was Flissa, or Mother Giselle? What if it was Josephine? What if it was Bull?

_Don't be stupid. Iron Bull can take care of himself, and there are guards everywhere now._ But three people were still dead, and it was becoming increasingly urgent to find the culprit before he killed again.

She sighed and sat up. No point lying in bed if sleep wouldn't come.

Outside the sun was just beginning to set behind the mountains. Golden light washed through the airy room, gilding everything as it spread through the open glass doors. A cool breeze gusted in, scented with snow. It all seemed unreal now, in the face of three deaths. The beauty of the evening seemed to mock her, laughing at the sluggish darkness of her thoughts.

_I don't know what to do. I don't know how to fix this._ This wasn't like fighting a red Templar or a rebel mage or a Venatori agent. This wasn't a problem she could solve with a knife. The thought of her knives made something unpleasant squirm in her belly. She didn't even want to touch them now.

A knock sounded, far below. Avrinne went to poke her head cautiously over the side of the staircase. "Who is it?"

"Just me, Boss." Bull's voice came muffled through the heavy oak door. "Can I come in?"

It was surprising that he'd even asked. Avrinne made a noise of assent and the door creaked open. Bull lumbered in, carrying a small sheaf of papers. He waved them at her, offering them. "From Leliana," he said, by way of explanation.

Avrinne took the notes and scanned them quickly. Phrases jumped out at her-- _body in a state of rapid decomposition_ and _no stab wounds or defensive wounds found_ and _body identified as Yann Keltig, traveling merchant_.

"A merchant? That explains why no one's reported him missing." Avrinne arranged herself on the couch, papers held before her like a shield. "They probably only thought he'd gone on his way."

"Makes sense he was the first victim, then. The killer was probably testing the waters, seeing if he could really get away with it." Bull settled onto the couch next to her; one hand went to her shoulder and began rubbing soothing circles into it.

"I take it you've already read the entire report," Avrinne said dryly.

"Of course." Bull's fingers worked at a tight knot in her muscles, then moved on to the next spot. Avrinne found herself leaning into his touch and had to force herself to stop.

"Mm, don't. I have to think about this. You're distracting me."

"I'm _trying_ to distract you. Glad to hear it's working."

"Why are you _trying_ to distract me? Bull, this is serious. I have to figure out--"

"You don't, actually. This isn't all on you. This is on everybody. Leliana and Cullen have their people on it. You don't have to do this alone."

Avrinne slumped a little, defeated. "But I do," she whispered. "It's... Skyhold. My people. My responsibility."

Bull leaned in close. "Not here. Not now. You don't have to be responsible for anything when we're together."

"But I--" He silenced her abruptly with a kiss.

She felt dizzy, flustered, foolish. His kisses felt like sex, long and hard and _dirty_ like her naive self had always imagined sex must be. It was so hard to think when he was kissing her breathless, so easy to get lost in it...

She pulled back. "Bull! This isn't the time for--"

"It's _exactly_ the time for," he snapped, interrupting her. "You need to unwind, Boss. Rememeber me telling you about giving people what they need?"

Her heart started to pound. "You can't really mean... Now?"

He kissed her again, long and slow, tongue slipping in to lick at hers. "Now."

Adrenaline hit her blood in a sudden dizzy rush. "What... are you going to do?"

"Get undressed," he told her. "Get on the bed, on your back."

"That isn't an answer."

"I know." He lifted her chin, looked into her eyes. "Let me take care of you. Let me help."

Avrinne wavered. She couldn't possibly... But she _could_. Nothing was stopping her. Nothing at all. If rest wouldn't come, then perhaps this could serve instead. She trembled beneath Bull's hand. "Are you going to hurt me?"

He kissed her forehead, so gently. "Do you want me to?"

_Yes._ She couldn't say the word. Couldn't. Felt something twist inside her, something that surely must be sick, because it thrilled at the thought of saying _yes_.

"Strip," Bull said, _ordered_. "Don't make me tell you again."

She got to her feet. Her shaking hands went to her shirt clasps.

She got on the bed, as instructed. "Hands above your head," Bull told her, and she did as he said, trembling. She waited, tried not to squirm as he scrutinized her.

"What?" she snapped finally, unnerved by his silence.

"You need the ropes tonight, I think."

Avrinne couldn't hold back the little whimper that escaped her. Even she wasn't sure if it was a sound of fear... or excitement. Maybe both. It boggled her mind that the answer even _could_ be "both".

Bull went to the wardrobe and pulled out a long coil of silken-soft rope. It was stuffed in the back of the bottom drawer, exactly where he'd left it last time they'd done this. It looked for all the world like the sort of thing that ought to have been holding open expensive Orlesian curtains-- and perhaps that's exactly what it had been, once.

With infinite patience and perfect expertise, Bull began wrapping the coiled length around and between her wrists. Avrinne held her breath, and did not move.

When Iron Bull was satisfied, he pulled her wrists up higher, all the way to the headboard, and began looping the rope around the wooden post. It pulled her arms taut, and she squirmed a little, trying to work her way up the bed to relieve some of the tightness. Bull paused to give one of her thighs a casual slap, which drew a startled cry from her.

"Keep still," he told her. "I'm not done."

He went back to the wardrobe, and Avrinne whimpered again. There was more rope there, she knew. He hadn't used it on her yet. What more could he tie?

Avrinne let out a soft noise, almost despairing, almost desperate, when he reached for one ankle to spread her legs humiliatingly wide. He tied her up in silence, one foot to each post at the end of her four-poster bed. When he stepped back to admire his work Avrinne turned her head away, unable to watch him watching her.

"You're beautiful like this," he rumbled, something warm like affection coloring his voice. She just had to look to see what expression matched that voice; it was reverent, almost, as if she were something too precious to touch. "You're blushing all the way down. Your tits are heaving with every breath you take. Mm, fuck. If only you could _see_ yourself."

Avrinne could only imagine what she looked like, and the thought had her shaking her head in disbelief.

A soft _whump_ brought her out of her thoughts-- Bull's clothes hitting the floor. She gazed up at him with something very like awe; the hard length of him jutted proud and heavy and impossibly thick. She'd felt it only once, and only between her thighs; the thought of him pushing that hard length into her cunt made her tremble and whimper more. She squirmed, tested the ropes. They didn't give at all.

He fisted his cock casually, and it made her moan to see. No man had ever done anything like this to her before, and she couldn't imagine ever asking for it. Not until now.

"You want to get fucked, don't you." He made it not sound like a question. "You want every inch of this inside you, don't you."

She wetted her lips nervously. "I'm not sure every inch will _fit_ inside me."

Bull laughed. "Don't worry. We'll make it work. I've always made it work before." He sat beside her on the bed, still stroking his cock, slow. "I ever tell you about that elf girl I bedded in Val Firmin? She took it like a champ. Sat right down on it like it was the best thing ever."

Of course, this simply had Avrinne imagining _herself_ in said elf girl's place, hips astride Bull's, sliding down on his massive cock like it was easy. She moaned, just a little. "I can't believe it," she said.

"Believe it. You wouldn't know what's possible with a little preparation and a lot of oil."

"I don't know how prepared I-- Ah!" She broke off as Bull slid one hand to her nipple, tweaking it hard. She squirmed again, but the pitiless ropes gave her nowhere to go. "That hurt!"

"Good. I need you to stay with me. We're not going to get anywhere if you keep getting distracted." Bull's fingers gentled, playing with her nipple, circling it with fingertips. She tried to arch into the touch, but with her arms and legs stretched so far she could simply find no purchase, no leverage. She was helpless, laid bare, dependent on his whims. It made her tremble harder to realize that he could do anything to her, anything at all, and she could do nothing to stop whatever came.

"Good girl," he purred. "Now you're getting it. Focus on me. Focus on what I'm doing. I want you to feel it."

Feel it she did. His hands swept fire across her nerves, now gentle, then sharp, caressing, pinching, sliding. A sharp slap to her inner thigh had her crying out; a soft kiss to the same spot made her moan.

Bull's mouth slid higher, leaving a hot wet trail up her thing to the core of her. His breath tickled just before her cunt. He stayed there like that, just breathing in and out, slow, controlled.

Avrinne broke. "Please, Bull. Please."

He made a satisfied sound, deep in his throat. Then his tongue was upon her and she forgot how to breathe.

Oh, Creators, his _mouth_. Avrinne could only plead as every lick drove her higher. He tongued her clit delicately, little gentle flicks, and she begged, shameless, wanting more. When he closed lips around the little nub and _sucked_ she came unwound, crying his name to the rafters.

He didn't stop, and her nerves were on fire. The pleasure turned into something that was too intense, almost pain. She sobbed, cried out, begged, though whether it was for him to stop or to _never_ stop she could not say. It was too much; her thoughts shattered. She came again, harder this time, every wave driving her over and under and through until there was no up or down, no yes or no. There was only the pleasure-pain, and she rode it until with a jolt she seemed to crash back down to the bed.

There were tears on her face. She could feel them rolling down her cheeks, and despite her embarrassment they would not stop. She wept. "Bull, Bull," was the only thing she could seem to say, sobbing it into the room over and over.

"Shhh. It's okay. I've got you." Bull's hand on her stomach was an anchor; the ropes kept her still, kept her in her own body, held her down. Held her _safe_. "I've got you," he repeated, and it was true.

She gradually caught her breath, came back to herself. Her head felt empty, washed clean, as if all the day's horrors and ugliness had been swept away with her orgasm. She let out one long held breath.

"Feeling all right?" Bull traced little circles across her skin.

"Mm. I think so."

She opened her eyes to see his grin. "You sound pretty all right to me, Boss. Maybe more than "all right"."

She fought the urge to kick him-- then remembered abruptly that she couldn't. The ropes still held her fast. "Ass," she said. He laughed again.

His fingers began picking at the knots that bound her wrists. "You're okay now. I was worried for a while there that I'd have to belt you again to get you out of your thoughts, but it looks like that wasn't necessary."

Avrinne felt too sated to blush. "If you had... Maybe that would have been okay, too."

" _Hmmm._ You're tempting me again. That's a dangerous habit you're developing, there."

She smiled, or tried to. "I thought you said I'd be asking for it."

"You basically just did. But you don't need it now." He started on the ropes at her feet. "How do you feel?"

"Better," she said, honestly surprised by the answer. "I think I... Well, I feel like I can _think_ again now."

"Good." He released her foot and massaged her ankle, gently.

"What about you?" she asked, suddenly concerned.

Iron Bull laughed again, loud and long. "Oh, don't you worry about that. I messed your sheets, though, so you might want to get someone up here to change them."

" _Bull!_ Honestly!"

"With you screaming like that, can you blame me? Thought I was going to come so hard I'd go blind."

She bit at her lip. "Did you really? Come, I mean?"

He slid his hand over the blanket; it came away sticky. "Would I lie to you?"

"Probably," she grumbled, but the sight mollified her a little. "I can't believe you messed my sheets."

"I can't believe you made noises like that. I'm surprised the guards didn't come running in."

"Oh gods. I'd die if that ever happened."

He chuckled and bent to kiss her mouth, gently. "They'd get an eyeful, that's for sure."

She rolled onto her side, curling into a ball. "Ass," she said again, but it was fond this time.

"Get under the sheets before you freeze," Bull ordered, and she was happy to comply. The breeze leaking in throuh the open windows had turned icy. He stripped off the top blanket and went to find a spare, tossing it over her before she could start shivering. Then he settled in next to her, a comforting, warm presence against her. She huddled in close, closing her eyes and losing herself in the hot masculine smell of him, like metal and sea salt and woodsmoke. She sighed, content.

"We still have a murder to solve," she mumbled, drowsy.

"We're working on it," he told her. "Let Leliana's people do their thing."

She nodded. It was so warm next to him. She felt so good and safe. Surely just a few minutes of rest would be all right?

She fell asleep pressed up close against him, breathing deeply, smiling to herself. She slept through the night, untroubled by dreams.

***

 


	2. The Pyre

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day offers few clues, but the desperate search for the killer cannot be stopped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter this time. Thank you for reading so far!

Avrinne Lavellan awoke with a start, feeling smothered, pressed into the bed. Muzzy thoughts coalesced into memory slowly; _Last night. Iron Bull. Oh._

The reason for her discomfort was readily apparent and snoring on top of her. Avrinne gave Bull's massive shoulder a hard shove; he barely moved. "Bull. Bull, wake up. You're _heavy_."

The Iron Bull murmured something about dragons in his sleep and cuddled closer. Avrinne could only wriggle until she was under his arm instead of half his chest, but that still left her trapped under the dead weight of his heavily muscled arm. She drew in a deep breath, let it out impatiently. _This has to look so ridiculous._

The morning sun filtered in, weak and pale. It was just after dawn, and heavy clouds raced across the sky, obscuring the warmth and light. The breeze from the open doors smelled like ice and snow; a storm was on its way.

Avrinne was tempted to curl back into the warmth beside her. Bull radiated heat like a fireplace, and the rhythm of his snoring was almost-- _almost_ \-- soothing. Perhaps she could just forget about everything for a while longer. Perhaps...

But no. There was still a murderer loose somewhere in Skyhold-- in her _home_. Somewhere, a killer lurked, and needed to be brought to justice. It was time to face the day.

"Bull, I swear, if you don't get off me--"

"Mmm." Bull pulled her in closer, rolling them so that she was now on top, splayed over his chest. "I'd rather get you off."

She couldn't stop the startled laugh that emerged. "Bull! Not again! We have so much to do."

Bull sighed, all regret. "I know, Boss. Just let me hold you for another minute, all right? You're all rosy and warm."

She was blushing again. "We're both naked."

"That tends to happen when two people have sex, yeah," Bull agreed.

Avrinne squirmed, trying to escape his arms. "We can't-- _Oh._ " She could feel him, hard and ready, sliding against her ass. "Oh," she said again, suddenly weak.

"Sorry," he said, sounding not sorry in the least. "It's a morning thing. Happens. Not that I would mind using it." He thrust up once, experimentally, and hissed between his teeth as his cock slid against the smooth, subtle curve of her ass.

Avrinne shivered. "We really shouldn't." She bit her lip, wishing, wanting. _If only there was time._

"Mm-hmm," Bull agreed. His hands slid to her hips, guiding her into a better position. Now when he thrust up, his cock slid across the outside of her cunt, tantalizingly slick.

Avrinne moaned. "I thought you didn't want me on top," she reminded him breathlessly.

He thrust again, and again, a low growling sound building deep in his chest. "I like you any way I can have you. And I like having you any way that I want to."

Avrinne shuddered and thrust her hips back to meet him. The friction was slow, maddening. Her own growing slickness made the movement easier, gave them a smooth glide as they found a proper rhythm.

"Good girl," Bull purred, and it made her heart leap to hear his praise. "Just like that. Nice... and slow."

He ground himself against her, making her moan.

Could they actually do it like this? Could he slip inside her, just like that? Could she take him all the way to the hilt? It seemed impossible, but oh, how she wanted to try. The fact that he'd never had his cock in her yet suddenly seemed obscene. She wanted it, wanted to feel the hard length of him as she slowly slid down--

"Inquisitor, I-- _Oh!_ " Leliana's voice brought everything to a crashing halt.

Avrinne gasped, flattening herself to Bull's body as if she could sink in and hide there. Bad enough that time they'd been walked in on by Cullen, Josephine, _and_ Cassandra. That time, at least she hadn't been naked and actively... _thrusting_. The Inquisitor made a sound very like a whimper. She was surely going to die of shame, here and now.

"Forgive my intrusion," Leliana said, and the sound of her voice indicated that she'd turned to face the wall instead. "I have news, but I suppose it must wait until you're... decent."

"I'll be dressed in a few minutes," Avrinne told her. Dressed and mortified, she thought. She'd never be able to look Leliana in the eyes again.

"Of course. I will meet you in the war room, then." Quiet footsteps and the click of the door announced Leliana's retreat.

Avrinne sagged, defeated. "Kill me now," she groaned. "Just get it over with. I can't possibly face them now."

Bull started to chuckle, and it snowballed until he was actually shaking with laughter, jostling Avrinne like a boat on a stormy sea. "Again. Fucking again," he guffawed. "At least the blanket was in the way."

So Leliana hadn't seen her... _everything_ , at least. It was a small mercy. Avrinne buried her face alongside Bull's neck. "We might as well just do it in the middle of the tavern, for all the good sneaking around has done us."

Bull made a considering sound, forcing Avrinne to smack his shoulder lightly. "That wasn't a suggestion!" she snapped. She threw off the blankets and struggled to climb off.

"It's not like the entire keep doesn't already know you're _riding the Bull_ ," he said, still amused.

"I don't care if they _know_. I'm just tired of everyone walking in on it."

Bull went quiet; she had to lift herself up on her forearms to see his face. He was smiling, but it was sweet now, gentle almost.

"What?" she asked.

He shook his head, smile widening. "Just glad to hear that you don't mind people knowing. Some people like to hide the Qunari mercenary like a dirty secret."

Avrinne finally disentangled herself and went over to her wardrobe. "You're definitely dirty," she muttered, "but I hate keeping secrets. It's just... Nobody's business, that's all." She pulled on a pair of breeches. "Just yours and mine."

"You never fail to impress me, Boss. People talk, though. It's what they do."

She ducked her head, blushing. "I don't care what people say. I'll settle for people learning how to _knock_."

That set Bull laughing again. All in all, it wasn't the worst way to start a morning.

***

Avrinne nibbled distractedly at a raisin tart while Leliana and the others talked. So far she'd managed to avoid everyone's eyes by concentrating firmly on the map, but that tactic would only work for so long.

"We believe the merchant was lured there, as there were again no signs of a struggle," Leliana was saying. Her mood was all brisk professionalism now, giving no indication that she'd walked in on the Inquisitor in a very compromising position only twenty minutes before. "There is another thing: according to eyewitnesses who saw the man alive, he wore several expensive rings on each hand. All are missing."

"A robbery?" Cullen asked, but then he shook his head. "Or a trophy?"

"Other than the method of death, there's so little to connect these murders," Josephine said, frown worried. "A merchant from the Free Marches, and a trysting couple in a garden? Is the killer simply picking people at random?"

"That could very well be," Leliana said. "If he's an opportunist, then he may simply be looking for anyone he can get alone."

"And that makes him all the harder to find," Cullen added sourly.

"We cannot even know the killer is a "he"," Josephine pointed out. "We have so far nothing to narrow down our search."

It was an awful thought.

"Let's go over what we do know again," Avrinne said. "The first murder: a well-to-do merchant who nobody knew very well. He wasn't reported missing because everyone assumed he'd simply packed his bags and left." She blinked. " _Did_ he pack his bags? Have we searched where he was staying at all?"

"His bags were, in fact, packed," Leliana said, scanning a sheet of paper before her. "It looked like he was indeed preparing to leave. Why he then ended up in the abandoned library, we don't know."

"And he's missing the rings he was wearing," Avrinne went on. "A trophy or a robbery, it doesn't matter either way. Nothing else was taken, as far as we know." She sighed and bit into her tart, chewing thoughtfully. "No stab wounds, like the others. Maybe because he didn't know the merchant personally?"

"It does seem to indicate a motive other than anger," Leliana said.

"Could it be a different killer entirely?" Cullen asked.

Everyone looked horrified. "Don't even say it," Josephine said. "Maker preserve us all if we have two separate murderers in our midst."

"I think we can continue to assume the deaths are connected," Leliana said, after a moment. "Everything seems to indicate that the same surgeon's knife was used to kill all the victims."

"And we've checked out the surgeon? Her alibi holds water?" Avrinne wanted to know.

"Yes. Several healers and apprentices confirm her story, and she never interacted with the merchant as far as anyone saw," said Leliana. Avrinne sighed. "I just don't know what more we can do right now. Josephine, how are the nobles holding up?"

"They grumble, your Worship, but we've been managing to keep them entertained. I will have to order more wine for the party, however-- the Duke of Havre drinks like a fish, and the Lady Marcette has been pilfering bottles of Antivan Red."

Avrinne snorted. "If that's the worst we have to deal with from their lot, I'll consider us lucky. Go along with whatever keeps them happy. Just keep them out of the way."

"Of course, your Worship."

"Cullen, what about the guards? Have they reported anything suspicious?"

Cullen's mouth twisted. "Nothing. They've had to deal with a few stragglers disobeying curfew, but nobody was armed and no one seemed to be out for nefarious purposes. Just lovers trying to tryst, or soldiers trying to get out of guard duty."

"Keep watching them. If there are any repeat offenders, I want their names."

"As you wish, Inquisitor."

Avrinne looked around the room, from face to face. "Is there anything else?"

"The cremation for Devon and Elysse is today," Josephine said. "You should probably put in an appearance to be seen by everyone else."

"I'd go anyway," Avrinne told her, frowning. "They were my people, even if I didn't know them personally."

"You're very kind-hearted, my lady. The service will be at three this afternoon."

Avrinne had a sudden thought. "Leliana. Make sure you have people watching the crowd. I want to know it if anyone acts strangely at the funeral."

Leliana raised an eyebrow. "You think the killer might return, perhaps to gloat?"

"It's possible. We can't miss any details." She shook her head. "Just... keep me informed. I'm going to try and talk to Cole again, if I can find him. Maybe Solas can help me."

"Good luck," Cullen said. "Maker watch over us all."

***

Cole was making himself scarce. Avrinne couldn't find him anywhere, though once or twice she swore she caught his silhouette from the corner of one eye. Why was he hiding? Did he fear more questions? The thought made her uneasy. She went to go find Solas instead.

"What have you heard?" she asked him without preamble.

Solas ducked his head modestly. "Only what rumor would suggest. Two people were killed, perhaps more, and the murderer still stalks the halls of Skyhold, searching for lovers to butcher."

Avrinne sighed. "Is that what they're saying?"

"Among other things. I've heard that it's a Venatori agent, or one of the Crows, or Corypheus himself." Solas shook his head. "I know better than to listen to idle gossip and speculation, however. But I do not think you came here merely to listen to rumors; Leliana's people are better for that. How may I serve, Inquisitor?"

Avrinne leaned against the side of Solas's desk. "I'm trying to find Cole. Unfortunately, I don't think he wants to be found."

Solas's eyes went sharp. "Surely you don't believe that Cole is responsible. Such a thing is not in his nature."

"Isn't it?" Avrinne angrily pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "I don't know, Solas. Everyone is looking at him sideways. I don't _think_ he'd kill in cold blood... But I need to talk to him, and he's hiding from me. It doesn't look good."

"He is probably frightened, overwhelmed. The harder you search, the more determined he is to hide." Solas crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. "I think the only solution is to wait, and to let him come to you."

"I don't have a lot of time to wait," Avrinne grated between her teeth.

"Of course not. Forgive me, I did not mean to suggest that your investigation wasn't of the utmost urgency." Solas sighed. "I can offer little in the way of advice, my friend. My realm of expertise is in the Fade, not the warped thoughts of the living."

"It's fine. I just... Don't worry about it." Avrinne shook her head. "I'll take your advice about Cole, though. Maybe if I stop looking, he'll come find me."

Solas nodded deeply, almost a bow. "I believe he will, if your need is great. He only wishes to help, after all."

***

Avrinne sat on the cold flagstones of the battlements, watching as a funeral pyre was prepared in the courtyard below. It upset her that only two would be burned; the merchant deserved final rites just as much as the lovers did, but until the nobles departed they had to keep his death under wraps. All to avoid panic and rumors; all to preserve the Inquisition's reputation as much as possible. She hated lying, even for a good cause.

"Lost, longing, lonely. Preserving pride means hurting people. Am I a good leader? Am I doing the right thing?" Cole stood next to her when a moment before he had not. Avrinne did her best not to start too violently, lest she fall off the wall and onto the cold ground below.

"Cole. You've been hiding from me," she accused.

"Too many thoughts, clambering, climbing, clinging. It's too loud in my skull. The echoes hurt."

She let out a long breath. "I'm sorry, Cole, but this is important. I have to find the person who's done all this. Three people are dead."

Cole's watery blue eyes looked distant. "Gold, riches, so many things. It isn't fair. Why does he deserve so much? Pretty rings. Pretty. He doesn't deserve them." He shook his head, hard. "The thoughts hurt," he said. "Like jagged ice. Like burning fire. They're wrong, wrong."

Avrinne's heart began to pound. " _Whose_ thoughts, Cole? Yours?"

"Not mine. Not his, either. The thoughts are all wrong. Blood on his hands. He doesn't know how it got there. Wash it off, wash it off. The stains are gone, but the blood is still there, just underneath the skin. Afraid. So afraid."

"Cole, I need you to tell me who!"

He shook his head again, so violently it almost dislodged his hat. "The thoughts are too _loud_. An echo that comes from everywhere. His thoughts are not his thoughts. I can't find where they come from."

"All right, Cole. Calm down. It's okay." Avrinne held out a hand but didn't touch him; didn't quite dare. "I know you're trying to help."

"I want to help," Cole whispered, "but the thoughts are so loud and so wrong. But that means they aren't me, doesn't it?" He cocked his head to one side, like a curious dog. "Besides, I have my own knives. Why would I take the surgeon's?"

Avrinne opened her mouth to reply, but Cole was already gone. Sighing, she rose stiffly from the battlements and went to find Leliana.

***

The funeral was a quiet and somber affair. The Inquisitor watched as the flames on the pyre reached ever skyward, belching black greasy smoke into the heavens. The one small mercy: the wind caught the smell and threw it upward as well, over the walls of Skyhold and beyond the courtyard. At least this way the corpses couldn't rise and attack anyone.

They were storing the merchant's body down in the otherwise empty dungeon. It seemed the safest place; no one was likely to wander in, and if a demon tried to animate the corpse it was already stuck behind iron bars. It wasn't doing anything for the smell, however, and incense could only cover so much. She prayed that the nobles wouldn't notice.

More had arrived just this morning, ready to admire the massive dragon's skull she'd brought back from the Hinterlands as a trophy. Apparently gawking at a dead animal was considered the height of civilization, so long as it was done by the upper class and so long as the wine served with it was expensive enough. Avrinne kept her expression neutral, solemn, but she couldn't help but imagine what all the nobles would think if she'd plopped the skull down fresh before them, bloody and stinking and still clinging to its scales. Would they be so excited to eat little cheese balls and drink champagne then?

She turned her mind guiltily back to the service. Mother Giselle sang from the Chant of Light, and Avrinne mentally added a little prayer of her own to Falon'Din to guide the lovers' souls into whatever afterlife might await Beyond.

Though she kept her head down, she watched the crowd as best she could. Some faces were tearful, others afraid; some hunched together in groups, whispering rumors before the light of the pyre. Among them Leliana's people moved, watching, listening, ready. Avrinne could only hope one of them would notice _something_.

After the service had wound down, people came to thank the Inquisitor. She ducked her head, embarrassed by their praise, their appreciation. _I'm only doing what's right,_ she thought, as a young mage took her hand and thanked her for _caring_. His expression was earnest, eager. _I suppose they're all used to lords and ladies and Templars who don't care at all._ She passed through the crowd as quickly as she could, eager to get back to the main keep. So many people in one place still made her vaguely nervous, and the place between her shoulders had begun to itch.

Sera caught her before she could take the stairs. "'Ey. Done right by the little people today, yeah?" Her mouth twisted down. "Thanks. They need reminders that not all the big hats care arse-all for them."

"I know, Sera." Avrinne sighed. "They were my people. Of course I care."

"That's the thing about you, innit? You actually _do_." Sera shook her head. "Dunno how you fit it all in there, skinny as you are. If anybody cut you you'd bleed caring, yeah?"

"Mostly I just bleed blood. Unless caring is a lot more red than I've been told."

Sera snickered, but then her expression went uncharacteristically sober. "Just... Remember to take care of _you_ an' all, too. Everyone wants a piece. Don't give 'em all away. Save a few for yourself."

"I'll try."

Sera's grin returned, nasty and knife-sharp. "And do us all a favor, eh? Shove one right in the bollocks of whoever's done it, right? If you need an arrow or two, I'll help."

Avrinne couldn't help but smile. "I'll remember your offer, Sera."

***


End file.
